Khunjerab National Park

Khunjerab National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Interactive map of Khunjerab National Park
Location	Hunza District, Karakoram, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Coordinates	36°35′13.21″N 75°23′59.5″E
Area	2,269.13 km2 (876.12 sq mi)
Elevation	17,000 ft (5,200 m)
Established	1975
Visitors	250000

Khunjerab National Park (Urdu: خنجراب نیشنل پارک) is a national park in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Khunjerab National Park is Pakistan's third largest national park, and is adjacent to the Taxkorgan Natural Reserve in China.

Etymology

Khun means "blood" and jerav means "to stream" in Wakhi, the native language of the region.

History

Khunjerab National Park was established primarily as a means to protect the Marco Polo sheep (as well as snow leopards and bharal) living in the area. The borders of the park were mapped by George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1974, after a short field survey. The park was formally established on 29 April 1975 by Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who said that "it must become a world famous park".

Khunjerab Pass is close to the national park's northwest corner

Despite being listed as a category 2 national park, banning human activities including agriculture and hunting, the park was poorly managed, meaning that illegal hunting of the Marco Polo sheep continued. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature commissioned Norwegian biologist Per Wegge to do a wildlife survey of the park in 1988. Wegge found that there was no evidence of competition between the domestic sheep being illegally grazed and the wild Marco Polo sheep, and that most of the illegal hunting was not being done by local Wakhi residents. He therefore proposed that the park be reclassified, allowing grazing and commercial hunting, with the profits going to local residents. However, the government overlooked Wegge's suggestions, instead drawing up a new management plan, which both the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund supported as a means to preserve the park and protect the wildlife. Wegge was critical of the government scheme, claiming that it was based on financial considerations, with the Pakistani government hoping to attract tourists to the area. The IUCN agreed with this, and has since distanced itself from the national park. To help protect the animals from poaching, the WWF has created the Khunzerav Village Organization, which relies on people living in the area to report poaching or endangered animal sightings. This park was created on 29 April 1975 on the recommendation of wildlife biologist Dr. George Schaller. Over half of the park is above 4,000 m. Khunjerab Pass, the gateway to China via the Karakoram Highway, is at 4,934 m.

The world's highest ATM near the Khunjerab Pass installed by NBP, is situated in the park.

There is an ATM considered as the world's highest ATM at a height of 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) above sea level, installed by National Bank of Pakistan is located near the China-Pakistan border crossing at Khunjerab Pass.

Wildlife

The primary purpose of this park was to provide protection to the endangered Marco Polo sheep, which is only found in this area in Pakistan. According to the Mir of Hunza, the population of sheep was around 400 but had dropped to below 180 by the time of the completion of the Karakoram Highway. A herd of almost 75 Marco Polo sheep was recorded in the spring of 1984 and park staff saw at least 50 crossing the pass in May 1989. In 2012, the population count was further down to 41, all being immigrant population from China.

The park is also home to snow leopards, containing one of their highest density in the Himalayan ecosystem, which is the natural habitat of these cats. Over 1,000 Siberian ibex, widely distributed in the park, are also present here. In Shimshal area, 1,692 blue sheep were counted in a 2025 survey by the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Feral or semi-feral animals especially domestic yaks can be seen roaming in the park.

Mammals

Total species: 17. Mammals in the park include:

Name of animal	Scientific name	Status	Pictures
Common pipistrelle	Pipistrellus pipistrellus	Least concern
Grey long-eared bat	Plecotus austriacus	Near Threatened
Indian wolf	Canis lupus pallipes	Endangered
Hill fox	Vulpes vulpes montana	Data Deficient
Himalayan brown bear	Ursus arctos isabellinus	Critically Endangered
Snow leopard	Panthera uncia	Critically Endangered
Himalayan ibex	Capra sibirica	Near Threatened
Bharal	Pseudois nayaur	Endangered (Shimshal area only)
Marco Polo sheep	Ovis ammon polii	Critically Endangered
Kiang	equus kiang	Least concern
Cape hare	Lepus capensis	Vulnerable
Large-eared pika	Ochotona macrotis	Least Concern
Long-tailed marmot	Marmota caudata	Least Concern
Kashmir field mouse	Apodemus rusiges	Least concern
Grey dwarf hamster	Nothocricetulus migratorius	Least concern

Birds

45 avian species are found in the Khunjerab National Park.

Name of bird	Scientific name	Pictures
Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros
White-capped redstart	Phoenicurus leucocephalus
Güldenstädt's redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogastrus
Blue whistling thrush	Myophonus caeruleus
Blue rock thrush	Monticola solitarius
Desert wheatear	Oenanthe deserti
Red-fronted serin	Serinus pusillus
Common rosefinch	Carpodacus erythrinus
Great rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilla
Plain mountain finch	Leucosticte nemoricola
Grey wagtail	Motacilla cinerea
Masked wagtail	Motacilla alba personata
Citrine wagtail	Motacilla citreola
White wagtail	Motacilla alba
Red-billed chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Alpine chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus
Common raven	Corvus corax
Eurasian golden oriole	Oriolus oriolus
Lesser whitethroat	Curruca curruca
Brown dipper	Cinclus pallasii
Common chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita
Greenish warbler	Phylloscopus trochiloides
Horned lark	Eremophila alpestris
House sparrow	Passer domesticus
Rock bunting	Emberiza cia
Wallcreeper	Tichodroma muraria
Brown accentor	Prunella fulvescens
Radde's accentor	Prunella ocularis
Long-tailed shrike	Lanius schach
White-eared bulbul	Pycnonotus leucotis
Bearded vulture	Gypaetus barbatus
Himalayan vulture	Gyps himalayensis
Eurasian sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
Common kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
Golden eagle	Aquila chrysaetos
Chukar partridge	Alectoris chukar
Himalayan snowcock	Tetraogallus himalayensis
Snow pigeon	Columba leuconota
European turtle dove	Streptopelia turtur
Common sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos
Little stint	Calidris minuta
Common cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
Common hawk-cuckoo	Hierococcyx varius
Eurasian hoopoe	Upupa epops
Common moorhen	Gallinula chloropus

Reptiles

Two species of reptiles are found here:

Name of animal	Scientific name	Status	Pictures
Himalayan agama	Paralaudakia himalayana	Common
Pakistani agama	Laudakia pakistanica	Common

See also

• Khunjerab Pass
• Northern Pakistan

References

Works cited

• Ashiq Ahmad Khan. "Khunjerab National Park". World Wildlife Fund. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
• Kalland, Arne; Bruun, Ole (1995), Asian perceptions of nature: a critical approach, Surrey: Curzon, ISBN 0-7007-0290-3
• Kemf, Elizabeth (1993), The Law of the Mother: Protecting Indigenous Peoples in Protected Areas, Earthscan, p. 296, ISBN 1-85383-167-0
• Khan, Omayma (2008-07-01). "The One That Got Away". World Wildlife Fund. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
• Knudsen, Are John (1999). "Conservation and Controversy in the Karakoram: Khunjerab National Park, Pakistan". Journal of Political Ecology. 56 (1).

External links

• WWFPak.org - Khunjerab
• Objects of Desire in the Northern Areas - Report by John Mock, UC Berkeley Archived 2005-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Mountain Protected Areas in Pakistan - Report by John Mock, UC Berkeley Archived 2005-02-28 at the Wayback Machine